PARK CITY ’99: Totally Loved Up: Gregg Araki’s New Film “Splendor” is His Fifth Sundance Premiere an

PARK CITY '99: Totally Loved Up: Gregg Araki's New Film "Splendor" is His Fifth Sundance Premiere an

PARK CITY '99: Totally Loved Up: Gregg Araki's New Film "Splendor"is His Fifth Sundance Premiere and His Most Optimistic. What's with allthe Happiness?

By Richard Baimbridge

Love him or hate him ? and there’s not much ground in the middle ? GreggAraki is one of the few filmmakers to develop a style so unique that ifone were blindfolded and led into a dark theater with no priorinformation, they would probably be able to say “Oh, this is a GreggAraki film.” If, however, one were to only see the end of his latesteffort, “Splendor,” they might be well-confused. Teen-angst, blood andguts be damned, Araki is on a positive trip this time around, with whatyou might, god forbid, call a “90’s feel-good comedy.”

Sitting on the toilet in the bathroom of his condo (the only quiet placewe could find to talk), Araki recently shared his feelings withindieWIRE on maturity, sexuality, and the changing visions of a Sundanceveteran.

indieWIRE: When I first saw “Doom Generation,” it was in a theater fullof teenage kids who had only come because they heard Perry Farrell wasin it. It was 16-year-old guys with their girlfriends who were all firstreally identifying with the tough-guy character Xavier Red. Thensuddenly, he’s drinking sperm, and the whole theater went silent afterthat. You’re terribly subversive, aren’t you Gregg?

Gregg Araki: [laughs] “We premiered “Doom Generation” [at Sundance] fouryears ago, and it was great. It was a lot like “Splendor” in the sensethat nobody had seen it, and people didn’t know at all what to expect.That’s always the exciting thing about premieres. You don’t get awarning of what’s gonna happen. I strive for the unexpected.

iW: Can you talk a bit about your relationship to Sundance, and why it’simportant?

Araki: Sundance has been really great to me throughout the years,particularly given my background. Like “Totally F**ked Up” and “TheLiving End” were shot on 16 with super-low-budgets and no crew. Myposition has always been the underground, radical punk rock filmmaker,and the support that Sundance has provided over the years has given me acertain credibility, so it’s more difficult for people to just dismissmy films.

iW: What inspired you to do a trilogy of teen angst films?

Araki: It was originally not a trilogy. I just did “Totally F**ked Up,”and the experience of making that movie, working with kids who were 18and 19, made me eventually decide I wanted to make a trilogy about thisgeneration ? the lost generation.

iW: In “Splendor,” there seem to be some jokes that are tailored for theindustry, like the Hollywood Reporter meets Psychology Today jab.

Araki: They’ll get a bigger response here than in Baltimore, I guess.The Ernest character in the film is a Hollywood type, and that’s what alot of those jokes are attached to. He’s loosely based on some people Iknow.

iW: In the past, you’ve listed Godard as an influence in your films. Whoinspired you this time around?

Araki: He’s always been a huge influence, and he still is in this film.But “Splendor” was really inspired by that whole genre of romanticscrewball sex comedies. The basic idea is a revisionist screwballcomedy, but inject it with a millennium, futuristic aesthetic. I wantedit to be set two years in the future, but harkening back to the ’30s and’40s glamorous movies star age.

iW: It’s also the most ‘accessible’ film you’ve ever made.

Araki: I’m selling out! Actually, it’s important to me not to repeatmyself. I know I’m most well-known as ‘that ‘Doom Generation’ guy,’ butafter completing “Nowhere” I made a conscious decision to do somethingdifferent. Something with my voice and world-view, but different.‘Splendor’ is a reflection of my continued growth. Each movie of minefunctions as a Polaroid of where my head is at. This movie iselectronic, peace, love ? everybody on ecstasy. That’s where the titlecomes from, it’s almost like a drug [says in a slow, sexy voice]…’Splendor!'”

iW: You use the theme of patriotic colors and the American flag in “DoomGeneration,” and also in “Splendor.” Why?

Araki: It has to do with this whole concept of America. I have aninterest in America and the broader concept of what America is. In “DoomGeneration,” America is a ritualistic, bad, scary thing. In this movie,it’s more about money and business. The girl is at a car show, havingmorning sickness, and basically feeling trapped.

iW: Are you obsessed with three-somes, or is it just unconventional lovethat interests you?

Araki: Well, “Nowhere” had more like a six-some [laughs]. I’m notobsessed with them, I find the sexual dynamic of that very interesting.For “Splendor” I really wanted to do this sex comedy that was writtenfor three actors I’d worked with already. It was sort of written forthem.

iW: Up until fairly recently, you were known as a ‘gay filmmaker’…and as‘gay’ on top of that. But that’s changed now. What happened and how hasit affected your filmmaking?

Araki: I’ve always been against that whole ghetto-izing thing. I don’tlike being characterized as any other way other than an individual withfree choice, doing what I want, when I want. I think my life haschanged. I’m in a different place personally and creatively. But it’s agood place. It’s sort of the next step, and I don’t know what the stepbeyond the step is, but I feel good that I’m not where I was ten yearsago.